Young Avengers
by ZeWriters
Summary: Earth's mightiest heroes have been... busy, way before they've even met each other. SHIELD is determined to keep these children as subdued as possible, even cutting them off from the outside world, including their parents. But when called away on a 'vacation', the children of Thor, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers learn there's more to them than there may seem. LGBT characters.
1. Some Weird Shit Goes Down

**Hello Everybody! Fedora here. Heres a new fanfiction brought by Skittles and yours truly. I hope you like this! Read and review please! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

* * *

 **"Oh, the places you'll go!"**

 **-Doctor Suess**

* * *

Rose was sitting upright in her bed, her deep chocolate hair resembling a bird's nest. She was quite groggy, as she had just been awoken from her slumber by the sound of her friend, California, going about her morning business.

"Aren't you going to get up?" Callie asked, poking her head out from inside the bathroom. Her brown hair was up in a messy bun, and she had a toothbrush sticking out the side of her mouth. "It's almost time for breakfast. Becca's gonna get mad if you're late again."

"I know, I know." Rose sighed, flopping back onto the soft sheets. They were so warm, so comforting…

"ROSE. UP. NOW." Rose felt her arm jerk as Callie yanked her up from the bed.

"Jeez, ok. You're not my mom." Rose teased. Slipping into the tiny bathroom, Rose slipped on her Black tank-and shorts bodysuit, with black tights underneath and a matching hoodie with cat ears. Finally, she threw on her black fingerless gloves before following Callie out the door, feverishly trying to tame her dark locks and they headed towards the elevator.

"Are you staring at my boobs?"

Callie raised an eyebrow at Rebecca as she spooned another bite of yogurt.

"I'm not looking at your boobs!" Becca huffed. "I'm studying the arc reactor…"

"Well, there's nothing better to do." Ikol laughed as he plopped his tray down beside Callie's. "You might as well stare at boobs."

"Mine _are_ the greatest," California supplied, throwing her shoulders back to enunciate their size.

"I'M NOT-" Becca started, but calmed herself down before continuing. "I'm not staring at anyone's boobs."

"Is everything alright here, friends?" Joining her brother, Torunn plucked down next to Rose. Torunn was exceptionally tall–being almost six foot five, even though she was only 15.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, Talls." Rose sighed, glancing mischievously at Callie. Before another kid could get a word in, a face appeared on the large, flat holographic screen on the table.

"Hello, Children Of Shield." A smooth voice said. "Today is a fresh new day in-"

"Hey, Alex. Or should I say, 'jackass'." Rose laughed, before being sternly glared at by both Beca and Torunn.

"Hello, Rose. Anyway. Today is a new day. But first, we must take roll call." Alex cleared his throat.

"California Stark."

"Single and ready to mingle."

"Rebecca Banner?"

"Present."

"Torunn Thorsdottir."  
"I am here."

"Ikol."

"Screw you."

"And finally, Rose Rogers."

"And finally, I do not care."

"Ok, roll call is done." Alex massaged his forehead. "Ugh, I'm gonna need another coffee-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT, TEACHERS PET!" Callie yelled, rolling her bright green eyes underneath her unnecessary sunglasses.

"Ok. The schedule for today is a follows–Breakfast, 7 am to 8:30 am. Training, 8:45 am to 1 pm. Lunch, 1:10 pm to 2:30 pm. Class, 2:30 pm to 6:15 pm. Dinner, 6:20 pm to 8:00 pm. Lights out at 10:00 pm." Alex said, before the the screen folded and disappeared. Rose looked at the clock. It read 8:25.

"Let's get going." She sighed, dropping her tray by the trash can. "I don't want to get yelled at for being late again."

Training was the usual–a large gym-like room with high ceilings and titanium walls. A small glass box, for observation, was perched high up the walls, while the floor was scattered with mats as weak protection against a fall.

"Ugh," California groaned, pushing her glasses up so she could rub her temples.

"Hangover?" Rose asked, mildly concerned.

Grinning, Callie replied, "I found the good stuff last night."

"If you stopped drinking, you could have a _nice_ morning for once," Rebecca snapped, crossing her arms.

"Honey, every morning's a good one when someone's checking out your boobs."

"I was not—" Rebecca started furiously, before Alex interrupted her.

Alex was, to put it kindly, hot. He had that vibe of someone you did not want to mess with. But he was NO fun and games. Such a snore.

"Let's get started."

"Yuck," Rose growled at her mushy food. She sat down at her usual seat, everyone sitting around the table.

"Training was fun," Rebecca chirped, stuffing her inky black hair into a fedora.

"Yes!" Torunn cheered, slamming her fist into the table and making everything jump. "I heartily agree, 'twas a fine lesson."

"Speak for yourselves," Callie replied, attempting to remove a metal robot arm from Ikol's bicep with her screwdriver. "Not all of us like wasting precious time on fake enemies."

We were then reminded about how little of the world we got to see. For the past couple months, we haven't even seen our parents, which was hard. Especially for Callie, who had a strong bond with her dad. They hated getting separated, but Fury said it was necessary. Ikol, on the other hand, didn't know who his parents were.

"Hello team," Alex called out from the doorway, and everyone froze. It was one of _those_ days, when he suddenly dropped into 'bond'.

"Out upon yea!" Rose yelled, chucking her gross potatoes at Alex's insufferable face.

"Ugh." Alex wiped the white goo from his face. "I just wanted to say that Fury has requested a visit with Callie, Torunn, Ikol, and Rose. Immediately." Without another word, Alex turned and trotted out of the room.

"Well, I guess that means lunch will be a little short today, friends." Torunn sat up and began walking towards the door, Ikol in tow.

"Who says we can't eat on the way?" Callie said, grabbing a handful of fries. Nudging Rose, the two followed Torunn and Ikol out the door and down the hall, towards the elevator. They went four stories upwards before they finally reached Fury's glass office, equipped with a full view of New York. He was facing away from them, behind his desk, his hands folded behind his back.

"I bet you're wondering why I called you here."

He turned around to address the teenagers, and it seems they had made themselves at home.

Rose was clinging to the ceiling, her hood down and hair hanging in a tangled mess. Ikol had sat in a chair. Torunn was perched on the desk, while California subtly hacked onto the SHIELD database.

Sighing, Fury continued, "it appears that California, Torunn, and Rose all have a connection with these, space ge–ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Fury sighed. "Listen, in short, I'm sending you all to Jamaica."

"FREE VACATION!" Rose cheered, dropping to the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she stood up and brushed off her clothes.

"Why shall we be journeying to this country?" Torunn asked.

"... Well, you all have been working so hard, I thought it would be nice to take a vacation."

"It would be nice." Callie sighed, leaning back in her chair. "When do we leave?"

"Actually–" Fury glanced down at his watch. "Right now."

The plane was a slim, military-issued aircraft. It was made to mirror a regular passenger plane, and did so quite well. To be honest, neither Callie or Rose could tell the difference.

Once they had stepped onto the plane, their expectations, which had once been of stuffy cabins and crying babies, had drastically changed. Four cabins-each personalized for the teens comfort-stretched the length of the plane. In each cabin was a luxurious snack bar and accompanying bar, along with velvet couches and satin chairs.

"Holy fuck." Callie gasped as she ran her hand across the golden walls. This was far from the cold titanium they were used to at SHIELD.

Get settled, kids." A voice crackled over the intercom. "Rose, you're in the first cabin. California, you're in the second. Torunn, third. Ikol fourth. Now, please relax and enjoy your flight."

"See you in twelve hours!" Callie laughed as she threw herself onto the soft couch. Rose, with a final smile to her friend, stepped into her cabin. Tossing her denim backpack onto the floor, she plopped herself down onto one of the chairs. Though it was nearly 11 at night and she wanted to sleep, something wasn't letting her. A fear–a fear was stopping her from relaxing. It wasn't the height, or the thought of crashing-actually, Rose couldn't figure out what.

"Might as well get some snacks." Rose sighed. Using her telekinesis, she lifted a bag of peanut M&Ms and brought it back over to her hand. She tore the top off and popped a few into her mouth, enjoying the sweet burst of chocolate. Leaning back into the chair, Rose noticed that her vision had started to grow blurry, and she felt her body slump into the fabric, as if all the tension had disappeared.

 _Good._ She thought. _Maybe now I'll get some rest…_ Slowly, she felt herself slip closer and closer to the edge of sleep. Suddenly, her vision turned completely black, and Rose could feel her heart jump.

 _What the-_

Though she knew she was awake, all Rose could see was pitch black.

"I'm just dreaming." She mumbled to herself. With a pounding heart, she took a step forward.

 _Nothing._

"Hello" She called out. The only response was the echo of her voice. Wrapping her arms around her chest, Rose started to tentatively walk further into the darkness. It was getting colder and colder by the second.

"Hello?"

A voice called out from the darkness, making Rose freeze in a mixture of terror and curiosity. That voice-she knew it from somewhere. It sounded like-

"ROSE!" On the horizon, Rose could make out the glowing blue of Callie's heart, along with her vibrant white tank-top. As Callie got closer, Rose could see that she, too, looked quite cold. Excited to see her friend, Rose broke into a run. Callie seemed only a few steps away-

Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath the two. Rose could feel the ground disappear beneath her feet. It took her a few moments to fully register what was happening, but the deafening sound of rushing wind was enough to give it away.

 _I'm falling_.

Rose started to scream-it all felt so real. She flailed her arms around wildly, trying to grab something, anything, to break her fall.

 _My telekinesis!_ Rose though, She realized that she could use it on herself, to lift her body and stop her from falling.

 _Come on-_ Though she tried, her powers refused to work. Back into her frantic state, Rose whipped her head around, searching for her friend. But Callie was nowhere to be seen.

 _What the hell is happening? What could-_

 _ **THUMP.**_


	2. Dreams are Never What They Seem

**"Dreams are never just dreams, they are reality waiting to happen."**

 **-Sarah Burton**

* * *

Callie was awoken by the loud thumping of her heart. The dream she'd had-The one with Rose and the darkness and the hole–to her it was more than a dream.

To her it was real.

Callie pushed herself up from the couch, trying to calm herself. Though her pounding heart had dissipated, she had an odd sinking feeling in her stomach.

 _It was just a dream._

 _Right?_

Callie sighed, before sliding off the couch and over to the bar, where she poured herself a shot. It was one of the only things that calmed her anymore. While she was enjoying the sweet release of alcohol, she heard a loud pounding on the door to her cabin. Looking down at her watch, Callie noticed that the time read 12:45.

 _Who would be up at this hour?_

Grabbing a butter knife from the counter, Callie inched toward the door. She knew that it was probably just Rose asking to hang out, but she couldn't take chances. She was out here, alone and vulnerable, without her suits. It wouldn't hurt to take precautions. Slamming her hand against the steel button, Callie came face to face with Ikol, who was standing in the doorway. To Callie's surprise, he was in Rose's cabin.

"How the hell did you get here?" Callie hissed, holding the knife up to Ikol's throat.

"We're all friends here, right?" Ikol laughed nervously, all the while slowly backing up.

"Why are you in Rose's room."

"That's just what I was about to tell you." Ikol led Callie into Rose's room, where the telekinetic lay sprawled out on the couch. The only way Callie could tell that she was still alive was by the steady rising and falling of her chest.

"She's not responding," Ikol said. "I tried to get Torrun's help, but she's not in her room.."

"What do you mean 'she's not in her room'." Where else could she be?" Callie said angrily. First, she found out that Rose was unconscious, and now Torrun was missing. Callie started to think. Rose would be alright–she's been through a lot worse. Torunn however… There's no other place she could have been on the plane besides the bathroom. And even if she was in there, it would be pretty obvious to tell, as the bathrooms made a loud humming sound was in use.

And the plane was completely quiet.

"Go check to see if she's in there," Callie sighed waving Ikol off. With a nod, the boy disappeared back into Torrun's room. Callie, now alone with Rose sat by her friend's side. She knew that Rose was there in that dream with her–and she wasn't just a figment of her imagination. That Rose she had seen running toward her was the real thing. Callie didn't know how she knew this, but something in her gut told her. Touching her friend's arm, she realized that Rose was frigid cold. Quickly, Callie grabbed a blanket on the edge of the couch and draped it over Rose, making sure it covered her exposed arms.

"Now-" Callie mumbled to herself. "All we do is wait." She slid down to the carpeted floor, letting the tense muscles in her body relax.

 _It's going to be ok._ Callie thought herself. _It's all a matter of time. Ikol will find Torunn, Rose will be ok–_

 _ **BANG  
BANG**_

Suddenly, the plane shook, causing some of the lights to flicker and cut out. In a flash, Callie had crawled over the cabinets, grabbed a flashlight, and crawled back. Switching on the flashlight, Callie waved it around the room frantically. The beam of light landed harshly upon a dark figure, definitely male, but it disappeared right before her eyes.

"Fuck," she gasped, searching for the figure once more.

A freezing cold hand slid over her mouth, muffling the terrified scream that would have come out. Another dragged her towards the emergency exit, attempting to open it.

With a grunt of determination, Callie grabbed the mysterious hand and flipped the person over, stomping on his face as she scrambled away, tripping over the tousled plane. Her bare feet stepped on her shattered shot glass, and she swore, carrying on, one hand over her chest, attempting to keep her arc reactor as dim as possible. The flashlight had long ago slipped from her grip.

 _Where the fuck is everybody?_ Callie thought angrily, stumbling through the plane. Thinking about it now, the plane was… nosediving?

She raced to the cockpit, and amidst the array of buttons were the remains of the pilot.

"Oh, ew." Callie used her finger to push the dead man off the seat. "Sorry bud," Callie said as she sat down, placing her hands on the controls and flipping a switch, "but Imma have to take this one." The controls board was a mix of colorful buttons and mysterious joysticks. Callie, knowing that one wrong push could kill them all, hesitated before the looming board. From movies, she knew that the double-handled lever was what was used to keep a plane from dropping. But then again, those were just movies. With uncertainty, Callie grasped the double-handled lever and started pulling it back towards her. In almost an instant, she felt the plane start to lift back up in the air, but not by too much.

 _ **BOOM**_

Suddenly, the whole plane shook, throwing Callie from the controls and back onto the door. Her head was now pounding, and she could feel warm blood seeping down her forehead.

"Shit," Callie mumbled as she pulled herself up from the ground. Using her right hand, Callie felt for anything that she could use to support herself. Grasping onto a small lever, Callie studied herself and tried to regain her composure.

 _What the hell is happening?_

And then there was a scream

It was loud and piercing, almost as if someone was in danger–

"Rose!"

Callie flung open the door and ran into Rose's cabin, where nothing but a shattered glass and strewn blankets greeted her.

"Oh, fuck," Callie said with fury, noticing the plane was diving again.

She had three options.

She could go looking for Rose, even though she might have been thrown out of the plane like Callie almost was. Rose was vulnerable while she was sleeping.

She could try to contact SHIELD, although whoever killed the pilot probably shut down the communication.

Or she could try and land the plane, which would probably end in disaster.

"Well, at least I'll go down trying," California thought out loud, heading back to the cockpit. She could find Rose later. Callie had her own _life_ to think about. Slowly, the girl stumbled back into the cockpit and threw herself back onto the controls. Soon, she had her hands on the lever and was lifting upwards with all her might.

 _C'mon…_

 _Just work-_

Out of the corner of her eye, Callie spotted a small, glowing lever, Intrigued, she leaned over. Inscribed below was black ink

And that black ink may have just saved Callie's life.

 _ **AUTOPILOT**_

With a heavy sigh of relief, Callie turned back towards the cabins. The autopilot should get the back in the air-and now Callie could focus on saving Rose if she was in danger. Knowing that Rose had no physical prowess, it was safe to assume that her kidnappers would have gotten away easily with her.

"LET ME GO."

"Somebody _please_ shut her up."

"DON'T YOU DARE. DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM?! I AM THE FABULOUS-Mrghhph!"

 _Rose!_

Callie crept forward towards the back cabin, where the muffled yelling was coming from. Keeping her hand over her glowing chest, she slowly peeked from behind the broken door. As she gazed upon the carnage, her eyes widened.

 _It's him._


	3. Crash and Burn

**"When you are moving at the speed of light, you are bound to crash into eachother."**

* * *

Rose's hands were almost numb, thanks to the alien metal fastening them together. She had previously to squirm out of her bonds, but no luck. The assholes around her-all a part of Loki's little posse- were mumbling incoherently while tinkering with whatever the hell was on the plane. Torunn was already at Loki's base, and Ikol was nowhere to be seen. Loki, however, had decided to keep Rose on the plane. He made his goons create a little makeshift pen in the corner of the room, made up of a sofa and the mini bar.

 _I'm trapped._

 _Like a rabbit_

 _And I hate rabbits, dammit._

"Comfortable?" Loki laughed as he gazed down upon Rose. Though her mouth was covered by a strip of cloth, Rose thought that she made a pretty decent hissing noise back towards the man.

"I had it made it out of a special metal. Blocks telekinetic energy."

"Fmuchk youw."

"Sir!" A man who Rose once sort of trusted appeared behind Loki. "We've got the other one."

"Then where is she?"

"Behind the door."

As he said those words, Rose could hear a muffled 'oh cOME ON' before Callie was dragged into the room. The two guards threw the brunette roughly to the floor and stalked back to their positions.

"So this is it? Two little girls, barely able to fight for themselves?" Loki scoffed. "I expected more. You two agents were on a disguised SHIELD jet, no?"

"Agents?" Callie asked. "We're not-OW!" Callie yelped as Rose kicked her in the shin. Without warning, Loki grabbed the cloth from Rose's mouth and flung it to the side. She watched as he crossed his arms and cocked his head,as if waiting for an explanation as to why she stopped her friend-mid sentence.

"Thank you," Rose said. "As my friend was saying, we are low-level SHIELD agents going to a disclosed tropical island."

"Umm, yeah!" Callie choked out, struggling to keep a mask on. "Just… Normal, low-level people!"

"Really." Clint raised an eyebrow. "Then what are your names?"

 _Shit._ Thought Rose. _He knows who we are._

 _He trained with us._

 _Shitshitshit-_

 _I wonder if Loki knows too…_

 _Though I doubt it._

Callie went first. "I'm… Allie? Yeah, I'm Allie, motherfuckers." Callie turned her head to look expectantly at Rose.

"Ivy." Rose blurted. "Ivy Montgomery." To both girl's surprise, Loki nodded and turned away, followed by a very confused bird man. Once the two had their backs turned, Callie scooted over to Rose.

"Ok." Callie huffed. "What. The Fuck. Is going. On."

"They loaded me with their evil plans before you burst in." Rose whispered. "In short, The guy in leather wants to take over the world."

"Didn't Fury say something about this?"

"I don't know. I wasn't listening."

"Yeah, me either."

Callie swiveled her head to each side, before leaning into Rose's ear. "Get the pocket knife. Left pocket. Hurry."

"It won't cut through metal." Rose sighed, rolling her violet eyes.

"Well, it'll cut through rope," Callie scooted around so she was facing away from Rose. "Hurry, dammit!" With some reluctance, Rose used her fingers to reach into Callie's back pocket, fumbling with her wallet and keys before grasping the cool, sleek shape of a pocketknife. Carefully, Rose slid it out of her friend's pocket. Flicking open one of the knives, Rose started to cut at the rope on Callie's wrists.

"What are you doing?" Loki said, turning to the girls suspiciously.

"Hurry up," Callie hissed. One of the ropes snapped. Loki started stalking towards them, and Rose hurried her efforts, trying desperately to cut the last two ropes.

"Hands up," Clint growled, an arrow pointed at her face. The second rope snapped. Rose raised her hands, a bit afraid. Loki was right in front of Callie, trying to see her binds.

With a quick swish of Callie's legs, Loki fell face first to the ground, groaning. She broke the last rope, standing with her hands in fists. "Run, Rose," she said urgently, "go and land the plane, I'll hold them off until we're on the ground."

Rose hesitated. Normally, Callie couldn't even be in the same room as a knife (she was a big spork fan). Now she's talking about holding everyone off?

"Dammit, Rose! Just go!" Callie hissed, shoving her friend over the turned sofa. All the soldiers were focused on Callie, giving Rose an open trail to the door. Jumping to her feet, Rose sprinted towards the door, not bothering to look behind. Turning to her side, the girl slammed her body against the door, pushing it open. As the strode into the cockpit, Rose realized that she had no idea what she was doing.

 _Why am I even here?_

 _Why are you anywhere? Just go with it._ Rose carefully laid her binds on the buttons.

 _Three_

 _Two_

 _One-_

Rose pushed her cuffs down on the buttons, dragging them along the board. She actually had no idea what she was doing. All she needed was to land the plane, but it didn't seem to be going that way. In about five seconds, the board was sparking and whirring. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet and the lights above her flickered and went out, along with the rest of the lights on the plane. The plane itself was stuck in a freefall. She was falling and surrounded by darkness.

 _Just like the dream._

To prevent herself from crashing through the window, Rose used the space in between her arms to wrap around the pilot's chair. She could hear the rush of air as the emergency exit doors were opened.

 _Loki and his goons must be escaping._

 _Dammit!_

She couldn't do anything, which frustrated her even more. If she tried to move, she would be thrown into the window. Now all she could do was wait until the plane crashed, and see if she and Callie survived.

 _My dad did it._ Rose thought. _How hard could it be?_

 _Ugh, what-_

 _Is that light?_

Rose's limbs ached, and she could feel bruises everywhere on her body. With a huff, she pushed the metal laying on top of her. The daylight burned her eyes, but Rose kept crawling forward. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, all she could see was burning wreckage and scattered debris. They were in a meadow, surrounded by tropical forest.

"Callie?" Rose called. Pushing herself to her feet, Rose started to blindly stumble around the strewn metal, careful not to step in any of the mini-fires as she made her way around the wreckage.

"Callie! CALLIE!" She cried, but there was no response.

 _She couldn't be dead._

 _Right?_

Pushing back tears, Rose fell to her knees. Her friends were lost, and she was alone in the middle of nowhere. Her hands were still bound with the telekinesis-blocking technology, making her useless. Rose knew that she wasn't strong physically, and barely knew any martial art moves. She was going to die here-

"Rose?"


	4. New Friends and Horizons

**AUTHORS NOTE**

 **Ok Fedora and I have had a really fun time writing this, and we got so caught up we forgot to post! However, this also means that now we have like 30 pages of material to upload!**

* * *

 **"Friends are the family you get to chose for yourself."**

 **-Mia Sherdian**

* * *

The sun was hanging low on the horizon by the time Rose had found a shelter not too far from the plane crash. Callie was missing. Rose hadn't been able to find her body in the wreckage. However, she managed to find Ikol.

Or Ikol managed to find her.

"God, I can't believe you managed to get away with barely any cuts." Rose sighed, leaning against a palm tree. To her right sat Ikol, who was occupying himself with a coconut.

"I guess I'm just lucky." Ikol shrugged.

"And how Loki didn't notice you under that table."

"As I said," Ikol laughed. "I'm lucky."

"That's true." Rose gave Ikol a sad smile. "I miss Callie though. She was my best friend."

"Well, now you have me," Ikol said as he put his arm around Rose's shoulder. "Just you and me, facing the jungles of who-knows-where together."

"Shut up!" Rose laughed, giving Ikol a playful shove. "Besides, knowing Callie, I'm pretty sure she's ok. At least, I hope so."

* * *

Callie's POV

Callie had managed to get lost.

When the plane was nosediving into some trees, she took a leap of faith and got tangled in some branches. Unfortunately, this meant she was in the middle of a jungle, with no one around to help her. This meant that within the first hour she had cuts, scrapes, and bites all over her body.

"When does this place end?" She yelled, after falling onto the ground for the thirteenth time.

"Need a hand?"

Callie looked up from the mud. A dark haired girl was standing above Callie, porcelain hand outstretched and green eyes shining with curiosity. Callie grabbed the girl's hand and pulled herself up.

"Who are you?" Callie hissed, taking a step back. Her hand immediately went to her back pocket, where she had placed her pocketknife.

"Angela." The girl whispered. "My name is Angela. I'm not here to hurt you. I swear–" Suddenly, Callie felt herself being lifted into the air.

"NOT AGAIN!" Callie screamed, flailing around uselessly in the air.

"Sorry! Sorry! I can't really, _control_ , my powers yet." Angela cringed as she grabbed Callie's arm to keep her from floating away.

"Angela?" Callie asked, her eyes on Angela's arm, not moving. "As in, like, a feminine form of Angelus?" Angela nodded. "Well then," Callie declared, "I'll call you Angel, like from Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Buffy? Seriously?" Callie shrugged. Suddenly, she felt the rush of the air as she plummeted towards the ground and landed with a _**THUMP**_ on the ground.

"Sorry," Angel winced, helping Callie up. "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you in the middle of a jungle?"

"Our plane crashed," Callie grumbled, pulling a beetle from her hair. "Oh my God! Rose! She's probably at the crash sight!"

"I can help you find her," Angel suggested, scuffing her toe against the forest floor.

"Thanks!" Callie gasped, and they started to trek through the thick jungle.

"So, is Rose, like, your girlfriend?" Angel asked too casually.

"No!" Callie exclaimed. "That would be a tragedy. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Angel shrugged, examining the forest canopy. "Besides, what happened to you two?"

"At first, there was four of us, but I guess the bad guys took Torrun, and I don't know where Ikol is. Rose was captured by Loki, but he and his guys escaped while the plane was in freefall. That basically sums it up." Callie shook her head. "It has been a crazy day."

"That's… Interesting…" Angela said as though she was trying not to be rude.

"Look!" Callie pointed ahead. "It's the plane!" The sky was already dark, sparking wires providing a silhouette of what was left of the plane.

"Want to find your friend?" Angel asked, stuffing her hands into her coat pockets. Callie had no idea how she could wear that thing. She had already discarded her shirt and cut her pants into shorts. No way she was getting a stroke in heat like that again.

"In a minute," Callie replied, starting down the steep hill, "there are some things I need to get first."

California rummaged through the bar, tearing past the glass shards of what used to be alcohol. Her hand brushed the end of the shelf, and she brushed her fingertips against the wood, until she felt the familiar metal of a gun. Pulling it out, Callie set it aside, before pulling out a silver flask from the wreckage. Callie had managed to salvage a bottle of vodka and was carefully pouring it into the flask.

Soon done, she took one of the emergency packs under the upturned sofa and tucked both the flask and the gun into it. When she was zipping it up, Angel walked in, looking uncomfortable in some SHIELD issued clothing (her clothes had caught on fire, don't ask), carrying in the huge suitcase Callie had packed before leaving.

"Finally," Callie sighed, taking the bright red suitcase from Angel. "I thought you'd never be done." Angel self-consciously adjusted the light grey t-shirt she had on, the SHIELD logo a darker grey. She also had on some comfy looking sweatpants, and the same brown boots she had had on before.

"Sorry," Angel muttered, and Callie just laughed, clicking the suitcase open and rummaging through, an idea building in her head on what she would want to wear.

"A-ha!" Callie exclaimed, pulling out her clothing and her make-up bag. "Now, let's get this party started."


	5. Finding Their Goal

**"A goal without a plan is just a wish."**

 **-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry**

* * *

"PSST!" Rose hissed in his ear, and Ikol opened an eye.

"What?" He grumbled, sitting up and smoothing his hair in vain.

"Someone's coming over," Rose whispered in fright, pointing to the plane, where two dark were getting closer. Ikol placed his finger on his lips, miming silence. Together, they scrambled behind a palm tree, awaiting the mystery people.

"Ow!" one of them exclaimed, and both Ikol and Rose looked at each other.

"Callie?" Rose asked tentatively, ready to attack if it wasn't.

"Who else, motherfucker?"

"Oh thank God!" Rose launched herself onto her best friend, with Ikol following more slowly.

"Ugh, get off you under-grown supersoldier," Callie groaned, smiling as she said it. "Oh, and that's Angel," Callie said casually, pointing towards the girl behind her.

"Um, hi," Angel said, hiding behind Callie again, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Come on," Rose said. "Let's talk in the morning. We can come up with a plan then."

"Are you sure we can trust that Angel girl?" Ikol asked, more than a bit suspiciously.

"She didn't try to kill me," Callie replied, sitting up and turning towards him. "She had plenty of times to make the attempt."

"And are you two…"

"God no!" Callie exclaimed, shaking her head, "I've told you before, I'm not ready for a relationship like that."

"Just asking," Ikol said, putting his hands up in mock defense. "Come on, the night won't last forever."

Callie laughed, rolling on top of him. He leaned up and kissed her, his hands unzipping her dress. They paused long enough for Callie to pull off her dress before Ikol started kissing her neck. Callie looked up to the stars, which were now swirling above their heads as they tumbled through the sand.

* * *

Steve's POV

"What do you mean, 'she's missing'?" Tony yelled, slamming his hand onto the table. Steve had only just met the man, Fury standing solemnly before them.

"I mean, the plane they were on got attacked, and our scouts can't find them," Fury glared at the billionaire.

"They're not looking hard enough!" Tony shouted, suddenly standing up, his chair screeching five feet behind him.

"I think we all need to calm down," Steve said, attempting to cool the mood.

"Calm down?" Tony turned to the supersoldier. "Our kids are missing!"

"And yelling won't solve anything." Steve sighed. "Our best bet is to look for them ourselves."

"And get your butts kicked?" Natasha quipped as she strutted through the door. "We traced the plane before it went off our radar. There were signs of… non-human activity. And a lot of smashing and smoke detectors going off."

"So?" Tony shrugged, suddenly dead calm. "The non human is obviously Torrun, and the smashing, well… You know our kids. Always breaking government property."

"That's the thing. Torrun's heat signature disappeared early on, and it registered as human." Natasha said, shaking her head. "We have no idea where she is. We lost track of the others after the plane crash."

"Well then." Steve crossed his arms. "I guess we better look for them."

* * *

"So, how'd it go last night?"

Rose stared expectantly up at her friend, hoping for an answer. Secretly, she'd known about Callie and Ikol, but it gave her more joy seeing Callie admit to it than to just wait in secret.

"How'd what go?" Callie asked, taking a sip of her watery coffee.

"You know what I'm talking about…" Rose smiled as she cocked her head towards Ikol.

"Shut up!" Callie hissed. Rose noticed the blush starting to creep onto her cheeks. They sat together in silence for a while, listening to the sound of tropical birds singing in the trees and the fire crackling under a pot of warm water. Angela had been nice enough to let the three stay at her house until SHIELD found them. Rose was glad to be back in a house. To be honest, sleeping outside didn't really suit her well.

"More tea?" Angela said, eyeing Rose.

"Nah, I'm good." Rose nodded, before floating her empty cup over to the table and setting it down.

"So? You're a telekinetic?" Angela asked, taking a seat on the floor beside Rose.

"Basically." Rose shrugged. "Nothing too fancy. Iron Girl over here, though…"

"Rose, I swear to science-" Callie put her head in her hands. "I make suits."

" THAT CAN FLY."

"Yes. They can fly. Now please, I want to rest." Callie yawned.

"This is not like her at all." Rose whispered to Angela. "Usually she tries to hit me with something."

"Well, you all should get some more rest. We've got a long few days of hiking ahead of us." Angela sighed, before pushing herself off the ground. Rose watched with interest as she trotted over to a thick, bamboo door, opened it, and slipped inside.

 _I wonder where she's going?_ Rose thought. Though curiosity plagued her mind, she knew it would be impolite to barge in on whatever Angela was doing.

 _At least without knocking._

Slowly, careful not to make a sound, Rose got up off the ground and tip-toed over to the door. Softly, she knocked on the door, constantly checking over her shoulder to make sure she hadn't awoken the slumbering beast that was Callie.

"Who-Oh, it's just you." Angela's muffled voice could barely be heard through the door.

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Rose, for the last time, no." Angela huffed. "Now stop bothering me."

Feeling defeated, Rose silently sulked back towards Callie and slumped into a chair next to her.

 _Might as well get some rest._

 _It looks like I'm gonna need it._

* * *

The hot, tropical sun beat down on the four as they trekked across the jungle. All except Angela were sweating like pigs, and the large leaving drooping from the thick trees provided little relief.

"Why couldn't you have just teleported us to where we needed to go?" Ikol wheezed. "It would be a lot easier."

"Do you want to stay undetected?"

"Yes?"

"Then it's safer to just walk." Angela said, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear.

It took about another hour before they had reached civilization. Slowly, as they emerged from the thick underbrush, a welcome sight greeted them. Buildings, coated in glass and stained grey, lined the busy sidewalk. Smaller, more colorful buildings were crammed between the office buildings, their bright color drawing eyes away from the industrial gloom.

"My friends," Angela drew in a breath. "Welcome to Mexico."


	6. Planes and Parties

**"I've told you time and time again,**

 **I'm not as think as you drunk I am.**

 **And we all fell down when the sun came up,**

 **I think we've had enough."**

 **-Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time, by Panic! At the Disco**

* * *

ROSES POV

Rose sat on the stiff hotel chair, mindlessly fiddling with a pen. While Cali and Angela went out shopping for food, she and Ikol were forced to sit and wait in the room. It was a miracle they even were able to stay at a place this fancy-she would of thought that the hotel registration desk would think it was odd that four disheveled, tired teens came up with eight thousand dollars in cash, but Rose guessed that Ikol's illusions were stronger that she originally thought. She yawned, stretching out her sore limbs. Her loose, white t-shirt and sweatpants felt like heaven, compared to the dirty clothes.

 _God, how long does it take for them to get some goldfish?_ Rose thought, slumping to her chair. The boredom was absolutely excruciating.

"Do you want to go down to the pool or something?" Ikol sighed, poking his head out of the bathroom.

"No…" Rose moaned. "I just want to go to sleep."

"Rose, it's three in the afternoon." Ikol rolled his eyes. "C'mon, we have to do _something_."

"Angela said we have to lay low." Rose slowly lifted herself out of the chair. "And that's what we're doing. Laying low." She yawned as she flopped down onto the soft, cotton sheets. In a flash, Rose had grabbed the TV remote. Pointing it at the large black screen, she lightly pressed the ON button. The TV flickered for a moment, before bursting to life.

"What the hell is that?" Ikol hissed. He was talking about the over-acted soap opera, which was the first channel to appear on the screen.

"No idea." Rose sighed. She watched the different channels flicker by as she mashed the CHANNEL UP button. Finally, she stopped on the CNN news channel. "Here we go." The two sat in silence, watching the reporters drone on. Most of their stories were about the stock market, or some remote Middle Eastern country.

"This is boring." Ikol hissed. "There's nothing good on-"

"Breaking news!" The news anchors voice cut in. "A recent attack in Stuttgart, Germany left five wounded and one dead. A man, claiming to be a god, terrorized a crowd of citizens before Captain America and Iron man were able to apprehend him."

Suddenly, the door swung open, revealing a sweaty, breathless girl holding a bag full of food.

"Guys!" Callie yelled, carelessly throwing a bag of groceries onto the ground, "the Loki guy was on TV!–"

"We know," cut in Rose, standing up. "I think he's been taken by SHIELD."

"We have to find Torrun," said Ikol sternly, turning the television off. "And if SHIELD has the guy who took her–"

"Hey, where's Angel?" Rose asked suddenly; Callie had come in alone.

"She said she was going back to the room…" Callie started before mumbling, "damnit. She split!"

"What?!" Rose huffed. Callie was right–Angela was nowhere to be seen. Poking her head out of the doorway, Rose looked from side to side.

"When did you last see her?" Ikol asked. Jumping off the bed, he jogged up to Callie and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Rose felt a sudden rage burst forth, and it only grew when Callie didn't push Ikol's hand off.

"After we bought the groceries, she just up and left," Callie said after a moment, most likely remembering the marketplace. "She seemed nervous."

"It's not important right now," said Rose determinedly, "we need to break into SHIELD so we can talk to Loki. We have to get Torrun back."

Callie nodded. "Let's do it."

Callie's POV

"This way!" Ikol hissed; the trio had managed to get lost in the airport, which was incredibly strange, since a lot of the signs were captioned in english. But that wasn't the point! What was the point was that they had bought as many tickets as possible with what money they had had left. Supposedly, they were headed to Cairo, Stuttgart, somewhere in Canada, as well as India.

But they were really headed to New York.

They had to stay under the radar–being found at this point would only incapacitate them.

"Where's that stupid security thing?" Callie snarled, looking around.

"There," said Rose, pointing to the other side of the airport. "Can't you read it?" She turned to her silent friends. "What?"

"It's on the other side of the frickin' airport, Rose," was Callie's instant response.

 _How did she see that?_

"C'mon, we don't want to miss our plane." Ikol nodded towards the security gates. The three jogged over to the (surprisingly) short line, and made their way up to the front desk, where a large woman in uniform met them.

"So, where are you traveling today?" She asked as she skimmed through the teen's passports.

"New York." Rose said. Callie could see Rose's hands start to shake as she lied. "Transferring onto another plane to Bali."

 _God._ Cali thought. _Please let her be stupid enough-_

"Oh, that's nice. Have a safe flight." The lady hurriedly signed the tickets and motioned them through. "Just go through here." As she tossed her backpack into the grey bins, Callie's mind started to drift back to Angela. Sure, she and Ikol were technically lovers by now, but some part of her still missed Angel. Callie wished that the sorceress was here with them, sharing in the small, but memorable, experience.

 _She would of loved this._

A smile played on Callie's lips as she thought of what Angel would do–of course, if she was here.

 _She'd probably just teleport through the whole security line._

 _Yup._

 _She'd do that._

 _But Angel isn't here. She's gone, and it's all my fault–_

"Callie?" Ikol broke Callie out her trance, his emerald eyes locked with hers. A tentative hand was placed on her shoulder, it's grip tightening with every passing second. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Callie sighed, placing her hand over Ikol's. "Just thinking about Angel."

"Hate to break up this love fest–" Rose rolled her violet eyes as she gazed at the couple. "But maybe you should know that our bags just went through." Rose held out Callie's small, black backpack. "And, surprisingly, they didn't stop them."

"What do you mean, 'surprisingly'?" Callie raised an eyebrow. "Rose, is there some you want to tell us?" Callie watched as a crazed smile grew on Rose's face.

"Whaat? How dare you accuse me of such villanry!" Rose giggled.

"Hey guys?" Ikol pointed up at the clock. "Plane. Boarding. In like five minutes."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Rose giggled evilly, "kiss already!"

Ikol's face flushed, while Callie just raised an eyebrow. "Come on," Callie said, noticing the sign to their gate. "Let's go."

 _Callie sat in the very back of the Fun-Vee, as her father had put it. Her white lace dress bright against the dull colors, her hair up in a swirled bun. As always, the bracelet that helped her survive was latched onto her arm. Diamond earrings swung in motion to the Fun-Vee._

 _In front of her, Tony held a demitasse of alcohol, the ice clinking against the glass. California would kill for some; the flight had been long and the presentation, while cool, was not a good time to show off her impressive drinking skills. And neither was here, with US soldiers._

 _Completely ignoring the conversation in front of her, which could have been nothing short of bor-ing, Callie inspected the landscape outside. It was barren, hot, and duh-sty! She probably shouldn't have worn her favourite white dress. But it was just calling to her, you know? Besides, if it got ruined, she could just buy another._

 _Suddenly, Callie was lurched to the side, hitting her head hard. Her ears started ringing, and she tasted blood squirting out of her tongue. More leaked down the side of her face, as her father turning to her. He said something, but she couldn't even hear him. She grabbed his hand, panic clawing a hole in her stomach. Soon enough, he pulled her up and out of the car._

 _Callie stumbled in a daze, unsure of what was happening to her. What if she was like this forever? Finally, she heard something, right behind her. Whipping around so fast she fell, Callie saw the missile before it exploded, sending her into oblivion. And what more, she saw what was on the missile:_

 _Stark Industries._

* * *

California's eyes flew open, her breathing unsteady as a ghost of pain flickered through her body, reminding her of how she felt when she'd woken up with wires sticking out of her chest.

Without looking, she knew Rose was quietly playing a game of cards with Ikol next to her. Not wanting to disturb them, Callie rested her head against the cold window, her panicked breathing calming to a steady rhythm. Headphones that had been wrapped in plastic rested on her head, the volume pumped up to the max. Her thoughts turned to New York, and her dad.

She really, honestly missed him. She hadn't even been able to talk to him, and she knew that all his letters had been kept by Fury. She missed the time when they'd skip some stupid press conference and find some crazy food place, eating their full before going out to see a new movie.

Unfortunately, they had been separated by SHIELD, Tony being told that Callie was stuck at some boarding school. He received fake letters from Fury, which were surprisingly convincing.

Thoughts drifting away from her father, Callie started reflecting on Rose and Ikol. Of course, Rose was her best friend, at least here. She was impulsive and naive, but loyal to the bone. Ikol, on the other hand was a troublemaker, with a hidden side as delicate as new frost. She doubted he even knew who his parents are, and even if he did, he wouldn't tell her during their nightly adventures.

And what did she think of herself?

What she knew was she was too selfish for these people. Ikol was kind and caring under his icy exterior, no matter what he'll try and sell to you. And Rose had this sort of purity about her, like she was too good for this world, too delicate, although she might scratch your eyes out if you mention it.

Callie also knew that she was afraid. More afraid than either of them. Because she knew what was in store. She knew people would die, and that Rose and Ikol had never been through an experience like that. Watching someone's life dim in their eyes. Their mind slowing to a halt. The seemingly endless hum of life, the constant movement, vanish right before you.

Callie knew what was coming.

And she was sure she was going to get caught in the middle of it.

* * *

Alex's POV

"We've got some leads on where they might be heading," said Natasha, the screen behind her filled with a map. "There are several flights they seem to be going on, including ones that head to Cairo, Quebec, Goa, Stuttgart, and New York."

"Can't you tell which ones are fake?" Alex asked cooly, his arms crossed over his chest as he examined the room. Most of the adults seemed worried, others angry, and one was really pissed off. He noticed Rebecca was sitting extremely quietly, probably because she didn't know what to say. She never knew what to say.

"Unfortunately," Natasha added, looking over to her son, "we cannot. They're good, good enough to take hours just to eliminate one possible flight."

"Impossible," Alex snorted. "That lot can barely see past their noses. California can't even pick up a weight, let alone make her own bed."

"Strength isn't everything, Alexander," Natasha warned, just before Tony groaned.

"We should go after them!" He exclaimed. "Our children could be anywhere in the world right now, for all we know they could be in Canada! _Canada!_ "

"Tony, now is not the time," snapped Natasha, "and we can't go after them because we've got our own problem."

"Oh, right," Tony sarcastically said, "the 'god'."

"You know damn well what a god can do," glared Natasha, while Tony just rolled his eyes.

"Natasha, all we have are stone cold facts. There's no room for gods in the world _we've_ created."

* * *

Callie's POV

"We're here!" Rose exclaimed, standing proudly next to the airport's massive entrance. Colorful blobs of tourists seemed to float by, only stopping to gaze at the assortment of mini-shops that lined the street.

"Holy shit." Ikol breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. "Holy motherfucking shit."

"Why were we never allowed out here!" Rose cried, throwing her arms up in the air. "This is like, awesome! Way better than SHIELD!"

"Anything is better than SHIELD." Callie smiled as she pulled her friends close. "Especially New York." Without another word, she led the two into the moving crowd, careful to keep her eyes on Rose. Rose had always had a tendency to wander off. After about half an hour of grueling walking,

"Hey! Look over–" Rose gasped. She started to pull towards whatever held her interest, but Callie stopped her.

"Not now." Callie sighed. "We need to find somewhere to sleep." She paused to look up at the sky. "And fast. The sun looks like it's going to set pretty soon."

"I agree." Ikol said. He looked mischievously down at Callie. "By the way, how many rooms did you book?"

"Two."

The smile on Ikol's face grew even wider.

 _Huh._

 _He actually wants me._

 _Weird._

"Well," Rose yawned. "I just wanna sleep."

"Lucky for you, the hotel is-" Callie reached into her pocket and pulled out the paper map. Tracing her finger along the creased surface, she stopped at a small, red circle.

"Here. It's not too far, just about five blocks ahead." Callie pursed her lips. She was just now regretting dumping their phones in Mexico. Sure, now SHIELD would have a harder time tracking them, but even having the GPS would have made things a lot easier. Shifting back into the crowd, the trio made their way up the block. For them, everything had always been so easy. They knew when everything was going to happen, their lives devoid of surprises. And yet, here they were, here Callie was, a wanted runaway searching for their lost friend. Their whole lives had led up to these fleeting hours–all the training finally paying off. There was a new path ahead for the trio.

And they were sure as hell going to take it.

* * *

ROSE'S POV

The hotel was definitely a step down from the one in Mexico. Instead of fluffy beds, there was an excuse for a surface covered with moldy sheets and a damp sofa bed. Instead of posh bathrooms there were clogged toilets, rats scuttling in the walls, and cockroaches crawling around the bathtub. Instead of an awesome flat screen TV, there was a computer sized television that let out a stream of static. The other room, which Ikol would be staying in alone, could not be any worse.

"This was the best you could scrounge up?" Rose asked Callie, feeling proud of herself for using a creative word.

"New York's expensive," Callie replied, sitting on the couch as though afraid it might break, which it actually might have.

"Now what?" Rose whined, not willing to sit on the bed because they looked really gross.

"I call sofa," Callie replied instantly, and Rose silently cursed her. She always got the good stuff.

"Fine," Rose grumbled, moving across the room to open the window. Instantly, the loud sounds of the street came tumbling in; a police siren wailed, impatient drivers honked to the max, and somewhere a lost dog barked. It surprised Rose: she'd always assumed that cities would sound like the compound, just the occasional rustle and complaint. Occasionally someone would pull the fire alarm. And before that she had lived somewhere out of the way, with her dad and her mom.

She knew she was a mistake, not really wanted by either of them. She also knew that they didn't love each other. But she did know they loved her; you have to love your children in some way, right?

Right?

Shaking her thoughts, Rose sighed and let herself rest on the windowsill. Looking down at the bustling crowds, she felt an odd sense of calm wash over her. Everything was ok now. Sure, they were closer to SHIELD than they would want to be, but that also meant they were one step closer to finding Torrun.

"See any goods shops?" Rose's heart skipped a beat at the sudden sound of Callie's voice.

"I haven't checked." Rose said calmly. "I was just...taking everything in."

"It's pretty cool, right?" Callie purred. "I can only remember being here a couple of times… but only when I was younger." She paused. "Before I came to SHIELD." Rose nodded her head in agreement. The two sat there in silence for a while, taking in the sounds and sights of this foreign land. After a bit, Rose got up and headed towards the bathroom, eager to get ready for the night's activities. The three had planned to go out to eat, and then go dance at a club. It was what normal teens did. And that's exactly what they wanted to appear as.

Normal.

In a flash, Rose pinned her hair up in a messy bun. Grabbing her short, white T-shirt and high-waisted jean shorts, Rose wiggled herself into the the clothes. The T-shirt only went down to about an inch above her belly button.

 _I'm gonna need a jacket._

"Hey Callie!" Rose poked her head out of the door. "You mind tossing me my jacket?"

"Sure." Callie replied, tossing the blue fabric over to her. Catching it, Rose stepped back inside the bathroom and pusher her arms through the holes. The jacket itself was puffy and white, and in Rose's opinion, quite comfortable.

"Ready to go?" Rose said as she left the bathroom. Before, her, in all her glory, stood Callie, dressed in a simple, black cocktail dress. "Uh, were we supposed to dress fancy?"

Callie laughed. "No, of course not. I just wanted to try this on. Angela gave it to me." As Callie mentioned her lost friend, Rose noticed that her eyes were suddenly filled with a deep sorrow.

 _Wow._

 _I guess Angela mattered a lot to her._

 _I wish I mattered to someone._

Rose felt a pang of regret, but shook it off. She was in New York. There was no time for feeling bad about herself.

 _Besides, Callie and Ikol need me._

 _I think._

"Ready to go, Ma'am?" Rose faked a smile as she held her hand out jokingly to Callie.

"Oh, you're _such_ a gentleman!" Callie laughed. Taking her friend's hand, Rose pushed opened the door.

 _Here goes nothing._

"Best. Fried chicken. EVER."

Ikol reclined in his car seat, his hands placed over his stomach. Callie, Rose, and Ikol were all sitting in their rented car, enjoying two buckets of KFC. It wasn't BlackTail, but it filled their empty stomachs, which was all they really needed.

"Y'know, I was expecting a fancy restaurant… But this was way better." Rose said happily.

"Yeah, screw rich people food." Callie burped. "I say we eat nothing else but fast food for the rest of the trip." Callie and Rose laughed, but Ikol didn't make a sound at all. Instead, he sat gazing out the car window, watching a piece of paper tumble by.

"Hey, is something wrong?" As she watched Callie put a comforting hand on Ikol's cheek, Rose felt a spark of jealousy ignite inside of her.

 _What the hell-_

 _Fuck these stupid hormones._

 _Making me feel things._

 _I would be a lot better off if I didn't have to feel things._

"I just miss Torrun," Ikol sighed. "She was like a sister to me."

"I'm sorry," Callie wrapped her arms around Ikol. "I know how you feel." a pause. "I lost Angela, you lost Torrun. We all–" She turned to look at Rose. "We both lost someone."

 _Oh, I'm sorry that your parents actually loved you._

 _And that they didn't drop you off in some isolated training camp just so they could get rid of–_

"ROSE!"

Snapping back to reality, Rose nearly gasped. On the back of Callie's seat were claw marks, cut deep into the fabric. Callie herself had a red line on her shoulder, as she had managed to jump away before any real damage was inflicted.

"Did I do that?" Rose whispered. She knew she had telekinesis-but it wasn't that strong. She could barely lift a chair off the ground, let alone cut into a seat.

"Probably," Callie said, not even bothered by the fact that she was bleeding. She was instead staring at Rose, something like cool panic in her eyes. "Did you come into contact with anything? Maybe in Mexico or on the plane?"

Rose thought back to when she had been asleep on the plane. She had breathed something in, and all of a sudden she locked up, unable to move or say anything. Then, when she woke up she had little pieces of rock around her, and those goons had pulled her away.

"When I was sleeping," said Rose, "I think I breathed in some kind of steam, or fog… or–"

"Mist," whispered Callie, real fear filling her eyes. Rose gave her a quizzical look.

 _What is mist?_

 _Did I breathe some vape smoke in or-_

"Let's just… Go," Callie heaved. Taking the steering wheel in her hands, she maneuvered the car out of the parking lot and onto the crowded street. They drove along in silence, watching the colorful shops flash by as Callie drove them into the heart of New York. After about fifteen minutes, the car pulled up alongside a modern-looking building.

"Here we are," Callie said as she stepped out of the car. Rose looked up in wonder at the structure. Glass panels covered the majority of the building's face, while blinding strobe lights shone from the very top. Rose could hear Hymn for the Weekend playing, while partygoers chatted about their pampered lives.

"Woah." Rose gasped.

"The top floor is where we're going." Callie smiled. "Where the party is."

"I imagined more of a seedy, underground club." Rose uttered. "But this… How the hell did you get us into this?"

"Illusions. Duh." Ikol admitted, donning a smug smirk.

"More like my fame," Callie replied, throwing her hands up in the air. "My name means something in America."

"Well, I'm not wasting any more time." Ikol quipped. "Let's go!"

"This. Is. Awesome!" Rose squealed, jumping up an down like a six year old on a sugar rush. "I can't believe we're actually here!" To their left was a hot tub, already full of tanned bodies. On their right was a behemoth buffet line, stocked with every kind of food that Rose could imagine. The whole outside area was filled with people, all dressed in tight dresses or tuxedos. Rose suddenly felt ashamed of her casual attire. Compared to what these people were wearing, it seemed quite out of place.

 _Don't worry about you clothes, idiot._

 _You're here to have fun._

Pushing her way through the tightly packed bodies, Rose made her way towards the buffet table. She had no idea where Callie or Ikol had gone off too, so she was alone.

 _It wouldn't be the first time._

Making her way over to the chocolate fountain, Rose grabbed a strawberry and plunged the fruit underneath the gushing chocolate. Pulling it out, she popped it into her mouth.

"Hey."

Startled, Rose whipped around, only to find a man standing before her. He was tall, with messy dirty blonde hair and striking green eyes.

 _Oh god._

 _Please don't be talking to me._

 _Please don't be-_

"Um, are you ok?" The man questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"What, me? No. I mean, yes. I mean-" Rose started, but abruptly stopped as the man started to laugh.

 _Great job, dumbass._

 _Now you've got him laughing._

"So, pretty thing-" Rose felt her face blush. "What's your name?"

"Rose." She responded. Maybe if she waited, the guy would go away, and she could finally be able to eat her strawberries in peace.

"That's beautiful." The man sighed. 'I'm Ben."

"That's… uh… chill?" Rose winced at her own awkward statement. Ben, however, didn't seem to notice.

"Where are you from?"

"Maine." Rose blurted. She couldn't stop herself. It seemed like around Ben, words just slipped out of her mouth without her consent.

 _I'm crushing on him, aren't I._

 _DAMN YOU EMOTIONS._

 _MAKING MY LIFE HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE._

"What about you?" Rose asked.

"Right here in New York." He replied, gesturing out to the glimmering city. "Over in Brooklyn."

"Cool." Rose tried her best to sound relaxed, but her nervousness still edged into her voice. Outside of SHIELD, she had never met someone who was actually interested in her.

 _He's probably just trying to score._ Rose reminded herself.

 _So you might as well end the conversation now._

"I-I…" Rose stuttered. "I have to go." She tried to disappear back into the crowd, but suddenly a rough hand grabbed her arm.

"Did I scare you?" Ben whimpered. His emerald eyes were full of… was that fear?

"No, no." Rose assured. "I just… Had to go meet some friends." She tried to pull away again, but his hand was still tightly clasped around her arm.

"Can they wait for five minutes?"

"Why?"

"This is why."

* * *

Callie's POV

Callie's vision was starting to get blurry.

Of course, drinking does that to you, but now it was starting to really take hold. At the beginning of the party, she had migrated towards the hot tub. She had spotted some of her friends from California hanging around there.

"OMG!" Someone had squealed, and Callie turned to spot another perfect human being. "Callie! No actual way!"

It was Dinah–a short redhead whose favorite pastime was her blog. She was wearing a pink tube top over some eighties looking pants, some bright makeup adding to the effect. She tottered dangerously, her brown eyes clouded over.

"Dinah!" Callie purred, pulling her in for a customary kiss on the cheek. "I haven't seen you since DC!" Callie smiled. That sure was some party.

"Oh, I know!" Dinah giggled, obviously drunk. "I can't believe the president's daughter snuck everyone into the whitehouse!"

Something had caught in the corner of her eye–someone who looked extremely unpleased with the party vibe.

"Who's that?" Callie said, and Dinah looked over.

"Haven't seen them before," Dinah chirped in that sly way of hers. "You going after him?"

"Hell yes," Callie replied, plucking two crystalline champagne glasses off the passing waiter and stalking across the room.

"You look like you need a drink," Callie had said, holding one out to him. Without a smile, he took it. "Rough night?" she asked, knowing this one would be a challenge.

"I'm stuck in a room of idiotic plastics who think they own everything," he sniffed, "it's rough talking to any of them."

"Tell me about it," Callie sighed, taking a sip. She liked how the bubbles felt against her mouth. "They can barely tell their left foot from their right, let alone (insert sciency term here please)."

Suddenly, he seemed to perk up, and Callie knew she had gotten his interest.

"What was your name again?" He asked, looking at her. She smiled.

"You hadn't asked. But it's Callie."

He grinned, as though he thought he had the upper hand. "I'm Liam."

"So Liam," Callie said, shying towards him. "Still having a rough night? I'm sure I can make it better."

And that was how she had ended up in some kind of room with lots of windows. The table was long, and there were several swivel chairs lined neatly around it. This Liam guy was underneath her, his shirt tossed aside, crumpled with his jacket. He rolled on top, his teeth grazing her neck. His hand started sliding up her leg, and she arched against him.

She broke off, laying down and unbuttoning her dress, pulling the top down to her waist, her lacy bra in full view. He leaned back down to kissing, his hand sliding to the rim of her underwear. _This is it_ , she thought giddily, _another score–_

The door burst open to the sounds of drunken giggles. Liam and Callie sat up instantly, and Callie was shocked to see Rose with some guy, her cheeks flushed with alcohol.

"Rose!" Callie exclaimed disbelieving. She got up and grabbed her friend's wrist. "What are you doing?"

Rose giggled, "having fun." She stumbled to the side, but Callie roughly shook her.

"That's it," Callie said sternly, pulling Rose away from the scumbag she had come in with. No way was Rose going to do this, not on her watch.

"No!" Rose yelled, pulling out of Callie's grip. "I want to have fun! You always get to have fun! It's my turn!" She glared at Callie, and California felt fear climbing up her throat. She would not let this happen.

She _could not_ let this happen.

"You are going with me," Callie snarled, hauling the wobbly girl away.

"Callie?" Liam asked tentatively, walking along behind her. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere else," replied Callie, not looking back. "Go find yourself another pretty girl you can bang."

"I want you–" Liam tried, but California wasn't having any of it.

When she reached the exit, she turned, smiled, and slammed the door in his face. Through the walls, she could hear a collective 'ooo' from the crowd, who had obviously enjoyed Liam's whimpering.

"You always have the fun," Rose pouted, before throwing up all over Callie.


	7. Things Aren't What They Always Seem Pt1

**"Sometimes all you can do is smile. Move on with your day, hold back the tears and pretent you're okay."**

* * *

ROSE'S POV

The next morning felt like hell.

Rose's head pounded with pain, and she felt sick to her stomach. Callie handed her a cup of coffee, before checking that the blinds were closed completely.

"Having fun now?" Callie asked dryly, plopping down next to Rose. In return, Rose groaned.

 _Sure I am, you stuck up little b–_

"You know, I hope you never do something like that again," Callie sighed, plopping her feet on the coffee table.

"And what if I do?" Rose said snarkily, a headache spreading.

"I guess I'll have to stop you again," Callie replied with a smirk. Rose covered her mouth, vomit making her gag as she ran to the bathroom. Callie followed and held her hair up and away from her face until she was done, uncomfortable to the bone, Rose would guess.

"Do you really think I'm the one who always has fun?" Callie asked, watching Rose with a purpose.

 _Yes._

"I was wasted," Rose replied, looking away.

"You know it's not true?"

 _Of course it is, you always get to have everything you want; your dad loves you, you're rich, you're popular. You have guys chasing after you every day, and you can't even see that the best one is staring you right in the face._

"...Well, it looks like it is."

"UGH!" Callie growled, putting her head in her hands. "You always do this! Sometimes things aren't what they look like, Rose! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?!"

"Oh, stop complaining!" Rose hissed. "Like you have ever had something to worry about. Like you ever lost somebody. Like you weren't dumped in a crappy training program just because your parents wanted nothing to do with you–" Rose stopped for a second to catch her breath. Expecting Cali to respond, Rose readied herself for the biting retort that was soon to come.

"At least you have both parents!" Callie spat, throwing her hands in the air.

"Yeah, well at least you never had to meet your disappointment of a mother! I bet her slutty grace caught the attraction on your dad!" Rose screamed back, and both girls paused, awestruck by the last comment.

 _ **KNOCK  
KNOCK**_

"What the fuck–" Callie groaned. "Why is someone knocking at our door?"

"Could be Ikol." Rose suggested. Callie creeped towards the door. Looking through the peephole, she let out a low growl.

"It's you boyfriend." She said flatly.

 _Boyfriend?_

 _When did I ever-_

"Hey, Rose."

Ben stood in the open doorway, dressed in casual jeans and black T-shirt.

"How did you find me?" Rose asked.

 _Oh my God. He's a stalker, isn't he._

"You gave me your address last night." Ben shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, I came here."

"Listen, buddy." Callie gave Ben a rough shove. "We're not interested. Go the fuck away."

"Woah." He huffed. "Language." Looking back at Rose, Ben smiled. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for some coffee."

"Really? Sure, I'd–"

"OH NO." Callie shook her head. "Nope. Nope nopeitty nope. There is no way in hell I am letting you go with this-" She glared at Ben. "Stalker."

"Rose gave me her address!"

"Oh, suuuure." Callie said sarcastically, before slamming the door.

"Callie!" Rose whined. "What the hell! Why'd you do that?"

"Because he's an asshole, Rose!" Callie yelled at her, her hands running through her hair. "Because we're all assholes, and you can't get wrapped up in that stuff!"

"What if I want to?" Rose retorted, determined to win this fight, no matter the cost. "What if I want to have… have sex with Ben, huh? What if I want to get drunk? What's so bad about that?"

Callie shook her head, tears of frustration rolling down her face. She does not make a move to wipe them off. "Because it's awful, Rose."

She had no reply. And Callie kept going, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's awful. Everyone just lies, and drinks and has sex because it might dull the fact that we're empty inside. And we think we can just change that by doing the same thing over, and over, and over again. And we're just stuck in this loop that we can't escape from, trapped in a… a washing machine of life."

Callie looked up at her maybe-ex-friend, despair and hate and sorrow deeply set in her eyes. "It seems so fun at first," Callie whispered, "but so does everything ugly."

Rose herself was crying, for the first time, for her friend, who was stuck in a world that she hated so much she would stop anyone from joining in. She was crying because she had never asked Callie about her friends, her family, her life. Because Rose had always been focused on her own misery that she didn't even notice it right before her.

"Callie, I'm…" Rose tried to speak, but she was caught on her own words. "I'm just so sad. No one even cares about me." The girl stared at Rose, her hands in fists.

"You are a fucking idiot," Callie declared, running over and throwing her arms around Rose.

And Rose realised that this was her Callie, hers, who was smart and beautiful and would rather die than leave someone behind and was so imperfect and who was _her best friend._

How could she have been so mad?

"Hey, I'm still here y'know." A voice came from behind the door.

"Seriously?" Rose managed to muster a laugh. "Please tell me you didn't just hear everything we said."

"Sure did. Anyway, are you still up for coffee?"

Rose gazed out the window, mindlessly watching the people walk by. The place Ben had taken her and Callie (Callie had refused to let Rose go unless she went along with them) was a small, cozy little coffee shop by Central Park. Prints of safari animals were hung out on the walls, next to shelves of labeled coffee beans.

"This place just screams hipster." Callie smirked, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"Well, it's the best place that I know of." Ben retorted. Rose flashed him a small smile before returning her gaze to the street. She liked how the people moved by in unison. It reminded her of ants.

"Can you believe what's been happening?" Ben said, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, who would have guessed we'd have a guy trying to enslave us all."

"It makes sense." Rose finally spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Callie cocked her head, casting a confused glance Rose's way.

"Villians are attracted to heroes. And with the whole Thor thing–" Rose sighed. "It's no wonder Loki's trying to hurt the Earth. Doesn't he hate his brother?"

"Who's Loki?" Ben asked.

 _He doesn't know._

 _Of course he doesn't._

 _He's a civilian._

"Oh my God." Callie's face suddenly went white. "Torrun. We forgot about Torrun."

"Who's Torrun?" Judging by the looks on Ben's face, he was getting even more confused by the minute.

"And they still haven't found his base, or they would have announced it on TV." Rose cupped her face in her hands. "He still has her."

"Has who? Holy shit, did one of your friends get kidnapped?" Ben gulped. "Here, I'll call the police-"

"NO!" Callie swatted at Ben's phone, dropping it into his coffee. "Just don't. Trust me."

"Hey!" Ben exclaimed, anger surfacing. "That was my phone–"

"Oh, buy another one, you pussy," Callie casually dismissed his complaints, grabbing Rose by the upper arm. "We have to get Torrun."


	8. Hate Can't Ever Seem To Go Away

" **I do not hate you. I just don't want to give you the opportunity to hurt me again."**

 **-Anonymous**

"Okay, let's move," Rose said, feeling like she was on some covert mission. Which, infact, they were.

"Who made you the boss?" Ikol muttered, examining the machinery around them. Behind the trio, the former crew of three were tied up and in their underwear. They had needed SHIELD uniforms, so they acquired them. In the cockpit, Callie adjusted her comm, taking a deep breath and tuning in to the frequencies.

"Come in, mothership, over."

"Mothership is here. Who is this? Over."

"Squad 148, over."

"Have you found the kids yet? Over."

"Positive. They're with us now, over."

"Bring 'em in, over."

Switching off the comm, Callie put her hands over her eyes, giving a groan. Rose let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

"Let's go."

* * *

Callie's POV

"We're close," Rose whispered, looking at the tablet she held in her hands. On it was a map of the ship, thanks to Callie's incredible photographic memory.

"Good," Ikol whispered back, "we need to get to Loki." The girls nodded, Callie motioning that it was the right time to dash across the hallway.

"Stick to the plan, alright?" Callie whispered, her hair on the back of her neck rising, a chilling shudder stumbling through her body. "No one do anything stupid. If our parents find us, we–"

"We what?" All three froze and turned in sync, their eyes wide with surprise. Standing before them, in full gear, was a true hero.

Rose winced. "Hi dad."

* * *

 _Shit._

 _We're caught._

 _It's over._

"So what made you three think that you could just waltz into a SHIELD airship-" Steve growled. "And take it over, while endangering the lives of three innocent agents!" Rose's father and brought the three back to his Brooklyn apartment. Callie, leaning against the wall, was trying to tune out the angry yelling and ranting. She was trying to convince herself that this wasn't over. They still had time to find Torrun, or at least that's what Callie kept telling herself. To be honest, all she wanted was for the Avengers to take this whole 'Find Torrun' thing over. The self-assigned mission had drained most, if not all, of Callie's energy.

 _Maybe now I can finally get a decent night's sleep._

 _No._

Snapping out of her trance, Callie returned herself to reality.

 _We've got to save Torrun._

 _By ourselves._

Torrun was their friend, and Calie would be damned if she was rescued by some bickering adults.

 _Ok then, how are you gonna get out of this?_

Callie's green eyes swept the small room, looking for any means of escape. Rose sat huddled up on the couch, nearly in tears, while Ikol sat dismissively on the floor. There was a gun lying on the table, but Callie wouldn't dare hurt Captain America. As the daughter of a well-known billionaire, the girl would be easily tacked and imprisoned by SHIELD. Now that Callie had a chance to think about it, all they needed was a distraction, something to avert the focus of Steve away from his daughter and her friends. Callie needed someone strong. She needed someone expendable.

And she knew just the guy for the job.

"Ben?"

"Hey, Rose. I'm sorry about the coffee, and how you had to leave and everything. Well, it's not your fault, it's that bitchy friend of yours-"

"Aww, nice to see you too! It's Callie speaking, by the way." Callie smirked as she imagined Ben's stunned face.

"Wha-"

"Listen, there's no time for questions." Callie mumbled, careful to keep her voice low. If Steven heard her, it would all be over.

"Where are you?"

"Captain America's bathroom."

"..."

"Listen." Callie hissed. "All I need for you is to come to this address immediately." Callie carefully spelled the apartment's address out to Ben. "Come with a gun. When you get here, shoot through the door four times. We'll run outside and meet you. Oh, and make sure you have a car. Got it?"

"Yes, but-"

"Ok, bye. See you in five minutes," Callie hastily pressed the end call button, before dropping the phone into the toilet. With a satisfied sigh, she returned to the living room, where Rose's dad was now going on about flight safety, or something close to that. Closing her eyes, Callie leaned back up against the wall.

 _We're coming for you, Torrun._

"And that is why-" Steve huffed. "You should never do anything like that again." Pleased with his speech, he slumped into a nearby chair.

 _Dammit!_ Callie thought, casting nervous glances towards the door. _Ben, I swear to god. Hurry your little white ass up!_

"Are you done?" Rose sniffled, her eyes still welled up with tears. Callie felt a sudden urge to go hug her and dry her tears. Sure, she may have deserved this, but it still felt wrong to Callie. Rose was emotionally vulnerable. Her dad should have known that.

"Hey." Callie strutted over to Rose. Reaching out, she put a comforting arm around her shoulder. "Are you ok? You know you were crying about plane safety."

"I-I know." Rose hiccuped. "I j-just-"

"I know." Callie sighed. "It's been a long day for everybody." Turning to Steve, Callie narrowed her eyes. "So what? Are you going to send us back to SHIELD?"

"Well, I'm going to let your parents decide that." Rogers returned Callie's iron gaze. "As for my daughter, I think I'm going to keep her here for a while. She'll be safer from Loki."

"Since when did you start to even care about Rose?" Callie snarled. Looking down, she noticed that Rose had fallen asleep on her lap, exhausted from her bout of tears. Callie tentatively stroked her hair, earning a satisfied snore from Rose.

"Listen, California. I don't have time for your whole-well, _thing_ with Tony."

"Hey," Ikol's voice broke the tension. Gazing down at her lover, Callie found her eyes locked with his green ones. "Can a guys just get some peace and quiet?" Stifling a laugh, Callie leaned back into the couch? Trying to appear relaxed, Callie let her clenching fists unfurl

 _Why isn't he here by now?_

" Listen, kids." Steve shook his head. "If you don't pull any more shenanigans, they'll go easy on-"

 _ **BLAM**_

 _ **BLAM**_

 _ **BLAM**_

 _ **BLAM**_

Four shots rang out across the apartment. The bullets broke through the door and whizzed by California's head, nearly hitting her. Callie grabbed Rose and pulled her to the ground. Steve, who had ran into the kitchen, emerged with his shield shining in the light.

"Stay here." He ordered, before turning towards the door. He held the shield up in front of his body, tensed and ready for the next attack.

With a grunt, Callie pulled the still sleeping Rose off the ground, carrying her bridal style. Ikol stood next to them, his face pale and sweaty.

"Sorry, Cap."

"California, what-"

The kick sent Rogers flying across the room, hitting the door with a sickening _thump._ Carefully stepping over his body, Callie and Ikol bolted down the hall. It was harder with the extra weight, but Callie and Ikol managed to get halfway down the stairs before they heard Steve coming after them.

"Callie!" Ikol wheezed, stopping to catch his breath. "What the hell is going on?"

"We're getting out of here!" Callie huffed. It was only now she felts warm liquid run down her arm and splash onto the cement floor. For a second, Callie froze up, anticipating that she might have been shot.

 _But nothing hurts._

Callie breathed a sigh of relief.

 _The bullet must of just skimmed me._

"Hey! kids, where are you?" Steve yelled. He was now just a floor above them.

"Ikol, c'mon!" Callie nudged her friend. Steve was getting closer and closer, his footsteps becoming louder by the second. They started to run back down the stairs.

 _Only one more floor to go._

Callie could feel her throat burning, but that didn't stop her, and neither did the aching in her legs. She had to at least get Rose and Ikol out of here. If SHIELD caught them, they would probably both be locked up. And if they caught her?

It would be a matter of time before they realised what she really was, putting her mission on a temporary set back. And if they tested on her?

She knew what SHIELD could do to regular people. Why should they do anything different to her?

But if it ever came to that, she would escape, and only turn back to watch it burn to the ground.

As they burst through the metal gate, Callie quickly sweeped her eyes over the empty lot, looking for a car.

 _C'mon, c'mon-_

 _There!_

They tumbled into the car, everyone panicking, ignoring Ben completely as he put the pedal to the metal.

Behind them, Captain America tried running after them, but Callie had hit him too hard.

 _Shit. He's going to tell them._

Panic had no hold on Callie anymore, though, so instead she looked at Rose, who was… still sleeping?

And that's when she noticed the blood.  
"Fuck!" She yelled, and Ben swerved, startled. "You shot her! Oh my god, do you even know who her dad is? It's Captain America, fuckboy! You are _screwed."_

She didn't tell him that ol' Cap would be the least of his problems.

"Ikol, do your thingie." Rolling his eyes, Ikol came over and healed Rose's shoulder. She started stirring, and Ikol leaned back, pale and sweaty, looking half dead.

"...What?" Rose started before Callie just shook her head.

"Not important. What is is that we need to find Loki. And get rid of your boyfriend. I vote throwing him off a cliff."

"We're not throwing Ben off a cliff!"

"Watch me."

* * *

Rose's POV

Well, everything had gone to hell.

Her dad had probably told SHIELD to be expecting them, so how were they supposed to get to Loki now?

Ben was really quiet, and Rose had no idea why. He had been chatting her up last night, why stop?

And probably the worst of all, Rose was still mad at Callie.

She knew Callie tried her best to understand Rose. Rose thought of her childhood and could not think of anything worse. Her parents hated each other, they hated her, and they hated having to raise her.

Rose thought Callie was an idiot to think her life could be just as bad as Rose's. Callie didn't have to have a disappointment for a mother because hers was never around. She was probably off, pregnant with another billionaire's baby.

Besides, Callie doesn't deserve forgiveness. She gets whatever she wants, when she wants, including the best guy in the whole wide world.

And what had Rose caught her doing? Callie had been getting it on with some random partygoer.

Rose knew the tension between them was all in her mind, because Callie had the memory of a goldfish. But Rose knew that if Callie even looked at her again, Rose would let loose a punch.

Maybe she could break that perfect little nose.

"Rose?" Callie asked, her eyes heavy with concern. "You feeling better?" Rose nodded, careful not to move her shoulder. Even though Ikol had healed the wound, the spot was still sore.

"Uh, sorry about shooting you." Ben mumbled.

"It's ok." Rose replied. "You were shooting through a door." Looking over at Callie, the girl noticed Callie cast a hateful glance Ben's way.

 _Jeez, what's her deal?_

 _Why does she hate him so much?_

It wasn't like California was knew to this whole "romance" thing. Rose knew of her plethora of lovers, from one night stands to men who lasted her months before breaking it off.

"What's your problem, Callie?" Rose spat out, unable to keep a bind on her mouth.

"Excuse me?" Callie asked, turning to the girl.

"You heard me loud and clear," Rose spat, her hands itching to punch Callie in that face of hers.

"Sure I did," Callie drawled, her hand combing through her hair. There was something in her eyes, like she was warning Rose to drop it, or something bad might happen.

"So answer the question!" Rose yelled, anger getting the better of her. Callie sighed with displeasure, infuriating Rose even more. It was like Callie didn't even care, dismissing Rose as if she was just a small annoyance. "Callie!"

"Listen, Rose." Callie hissed through her teeth. "You don't know what you're talking about, so just stay out of it, ok?!" Rose suddenly lunged forward, hate and anger fueling her attack. In one quick swipe, she had left three thin, claw-like lines of Callie's cheek. Ben, seeing what had happened, swerved the car off the road and brought it to a halt.

 _Oh my god._

Looking down at her blood-soaked fingernails, Rose nearly cried out. She had acted on an impulse and hurt her friend-

"Callie…" She started, gazing at California for forgiveness. Callie, however, made no indication that she was hurt. Instead, she turned back towards Rose.

"Rose," Callie said. She tried finding some kind of anger or fear or something, but her voice was perfectly emotionless. Rose did not reply. "Could you get me the bandages." Leaning down, Rose grabbed the bandages out of a small white box. The group watched silently as Callie tentatively placed the bandages on her cuts.

"What are you waiting for?" She growled, glaring at Ben. "Drive the stupid car!" The car lurched forward and swung back onto the road. The highway was surprisingly empty, the worn roads stark and barren.

"Callie?" Rose tried again, shocked still by her attack. Reaching out, her finger barely brushed against Callie's shoulder.

In a flash, Callie had Rose pinned against the side of the car. Ben let out a yelp, swerving as he saw what happened, slowing down to a stop. Ignoring it, Callie hissed in Rose's ear, "touch me again, and I won't be so gentle. You understand, girl?"

 _What?_

Rose stared into her friend's eyes and saw the anger in them. With shallow breaths, Rose nodded. _Girl? Since when did she call me 'girl'?_

 _Since when could she pin me down?_

 _Since when did she threaten people?_

Rose watched, her whole body shaking, as Callie relaxed her grip and slid off Rose. Turning towards the window, Callie placed her cheek on her fist and averted her gaze away from the trembling girl. Rose took one, two three deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her throat was still sore from where Callie's hand has been clamped.

"Hey," Ben looked back at Rose. "You want to come up here?" He motioned to the empty passenger's seat. A small smile graced Rose's features as she clumsily climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Thanks," She breathed. Whatever she did to Callie–and what Callie did to her–Rose felt the need to be away from the girl. Even though Rose knew that a flimsy seat would offer little protection if Callie attacked again, it was still comforting to know that _something_ was there.

And when she looked at Ben, she knew there was something there too.

* * *

Callie's POV

California Stark was more than angry. She was furious. Boiling. Full of hate.

And when she looked at Ben, who she knew quite personally, she felt her fury soar, like an angel of heaven.

Yes, an angel; not some guardian pussy with a fluffy halo. A warrior of paradise, full of wrath and power.

An angel would suit her nicely.

Callie felt her mouth twist into a satisfied smirk. Her gaze drifted to outside the window, and settled on the blur of color that whizzed past them. At that moment, they were driving near stark tower, the sky now bright and the people now oblivious.

She couldn't wait to see her faces.

She wanted to tell the people around her these thoughts, but knew that they would be confused and most likely delay what she was soon going to do.

Of course, Callie always knew something these idiots didn't.

For example, she knew Ikol loved her, and she was counting on using that to get what she wanted.

She knew Rose was ignorant and selfish, in the way that she had never even seen the world and couldn't imagine anything worse than her life.

She knew Ben was using Rose, and she hated it. Because he was 'Ben', and they had a history going far back into their childhood, even before knowing about her dad.

And she was trying to use Rose.

Of course, this did not mean she didn't think they were her friends of sorts. They had had some fun in that compound.

But Callie's hate and anger was burning through the disguise she had thrown up to trick these people. It was raging along her skin, and her true self was being revealed.

Along with this hate was knowledge. She knew if she slipped up, her life would be ruined. SHIELD would be after her, and her father would be questioned, and she'd have to run.

Although, it wouldn't be too bad. At least then she could leave this dirty place, with these dirty beings.

California knew she was part of these people, at least some of her. And she knew she served a higher purpose than these weak things that were ants to her, easy to find, easy to kill, easy to get rid of.

And she would do whatever it took to help her people, even if it meant genocide.

An angel indeed.

* * *

"Callie?"

Callie ignored Rose's comment, her eyes fixed on the stars above. Ikol, the current driver, had pulled the van over to the side of the road. They all unanimously decided it would be where they slept, as none of them could bear driving any longer.

"Callie? Please, just look at me." Rose whimpered. She hated this, having to listen to her friend sniffle and cry all the way to an apology. Turning her head in disgust, Callie shot Rose a hateful glare.

"Callie, I said I was sorry like a thousand times."

 _Ignore her._

"And I think it's time for you to apologize."

Surprised by Rose's words, Callie shot up and locked eyes with Rose. Rose's violet eyes, once filled with tears, held a stern and angered look. California raised an eyebrow. This was not the Rose she knew. This was someone else.

"Huh." Callie was at a loss for words. She was so used to Rose being weak, caving into her every desire. It felt odd for Rose to completely challenge her.

"I said–" Rose hissed. "Apologize. For leaving that bruise on my neck." In a flash, she had grabbed Callie's wrist and started to twist it, almost with superhuman strength. Callie bit her lip, trying not to cry out. It was obvious now. Rose was gone. But Callie was not one to back down.

"No," Callie said, her voice bold against the quiet of the car. Rose twisted more, enough to break a normal girl's wrist. Unfortunately, it would take a bit more than that for this girl. "It's not like you're going to get a scar from it. Besides, you attacked me." _What if she was one of_ them?

"APOLOGIZE." Rose bared her teeth, like an animal. Almost instantly, she had Callie pinned down on the seat, her hands wrapping around Callie's wrists and her knees digging into her friends lower thigh.

 _It must be her superhuman genes._

 _Right?_

"Rose, get off." Callie said calmly, resisting the urge to throw the girl across the car. Rose only growled in response. Callie gulped, unsure of what to do. She could call for Ben, but he would only have his human strength to help him. Ikol could use his magic to subdue Rose, but she could hurt him in the process.

 _I've got to distract her myself._

 _And I know exactly what to do._

Without warning, Callie sat up and latched her mouth to Rose's, resting her hand behind the girl's head. Callie watched with satisfaction as the girl tensed up, her pupils shrinking at an alarming rate. Rose's legs slipped from Callie's and rested on either side of the billionaire girl's jean-covered could feel Rose's lips shut, preventing the brunette from entering her mouth. Pulling back from Rose's blushing face, Callie sighed.

"Sorry, Rose." Callie felt her feet collide with Rose's stomach. Rose flew across the van and hit the wall with a sickening thump. Callie breathed a sigh of relief. She had seen something in Rose as she pinned her down, something beyond human. Animalistic was a good way to describe it. The way Rose moved, the way she growled and hissed, reminded Callie of a wild beast, finally pinning down her prey.

 _At least I know she's strong._ Callie crawled over to Rose's limp form and moved her over to the seat. Slowly, Callie draped a blanket over her body. Leaning back up against the cold, frosted window, Callie studied Rose's body. As she did so, a soft glint in the moonlight caught her eyes, Grabbing Rose's hand, California brought the girl's soft fingers up to her face.

 _Claws._

In place of Rose's fingernails were razor-sharp claws, diamond hard and shining in the moonlight.

 _What the fuck?_

 _Where did she get these?_

Carefully, Callie set Rose's hand back down. Wrapping a blanket around herself, Callie shut her eyes. The discovery of this new Rose intrigued and scared her. The way the girl hand pinned her down-Callie had never experienced anything like that before, especially from Rose. The fear she had felt, the way her heart almost beat out of her chest, and all induced by a small, frail girl. Not as strong as Callie was, but her weak appearance gave her the upper hand.

 _She could be useful._ Callie's last thought crossed her mind before drifting off into a shallow slumber.

ROSE'S POV-

" _Where are you-"_

 _Rose giggled, running through the long, empty halls. Her short brown curls bounced as she skipped, stopping every so often to check the rooms. In the corner of her eyes, a flash of red and brown dove into a doorway behind her._

" _Callie, I know that was you." Rose smiled as she pushed the door in. In the middle of the room, Callie stood, frantically looking for a place to hide. Her hair was done up into two small pigtails that swung from side to side. Her dress was short, white, decorated with lace outlining the edges. It was simple, yet cute all at the same time._

" _Did you find Bruce?" Callie giggled, raising an eyebrow. Shaking her head, Rose sighed._

" _Not yet, but we will." She said determinedly._

 _Little Callie pouted. "I don't want to be it yet!" She stomped her foot. "It's not fair!"_

" _Fine," Rose rolled her eyes. It would be more fun to find Bruce Jr. Besides, the game was about finding everyone._

 _And not leaving anyone behind._

Rose shot up, nearly breaking her wrist. Confused, she yanked it again, hearing a jingle. Confused, she looked down to find herself handcuffed to some bed. They were probably in a hotel by now.

"Yeah, um, sorry about that," Ben winced. Rose swiveled around, her eyes wide. "Callie insisted."

Ah, yes, Callie. That girl was a demon if anything. Why didn't she apologise when Rose told her to? How annoying.

"Can you let me go?" Rose asked sleepily. She could use a bath, maybe in Callie's blood.

"Um, oh, this is awkward," Ben scratched the back of his head. "Um, yeah, okay, it wasn't exactly Cal who handcuffed you." Rose's eyes popped open, clear like pure amethyst.

"Did you say… Cal?" No one called Callie that. She'd punch you in the face with her dainty looking hand if you called her that.

Ben gave out a cold laugh. "Oh, oopsie me. I seem to have… what's the term? Slip up."

Who was Callie? Why was she so mad at Ben?

 _Why did he call her Cal?_


End file.
